Understanding What History Can and Cannot Prove (How Can We Know) Historians can evaluate documents, determine when they were written, and understand how earlier generations interpreted them. However, they cannot prove spiritual claims, such as whether Paul truly saw Jesus or whether Joseph Smith received revelation. History can only confirm that: Paul claimed repeatedly to … Read more
Introduction This episode addresses several historical and doctrinal questions posed by participants on a Church history tour. The focus is on clarifying early Church history events, priesthood restoration timelines, Latter-day Saint marriage norms in the 19th century, offshoot movements after Joseph Smith’s death, and how faithful historians process difficult or unfamiliar historical information. Joseph and … Read more
D&C 135 How Historians Examine the Past Historians study the past through written and spoken sources, seeking to understand what most likely occurred. This task becomes significantly more complex when sources involve oral traditions or accounts of miraculous events. Because miracles fall outside natural probability, historians cannot confirm or deny them using standard historical tools. … Read more